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Jan 26th, 2008 at 00:22:07 - mario 64 (N64) |
Gameplay
I enjoyed this game far more in my first gameplay than in my second. There were just a few little nit picks that kept annoying me. The camera angles shifted way too much. The view was hardly ever set to the direction Mario was looking. The angles were helpful but made it too complicated to for. After a while I got dizzy and decided to stop for a while.
I felt that the overall story needed a deeper storyline. I think that maybe having Bowser say something or appear at every door would have been a good addition to keep me going for the main goal. The variety in the gameworlds was amazing and kept me going. Passing one level was motivation enough to keep on going.
The controls I felt were very limiting and didnt allow for much freedom. I wanted to see more of the things from old Mario games incorporated in this game. As Mario, I felt pretty lonely in this huge castle. It could have been good to have Luigi or Yoshi appear in some of the gameworld.
An awesome thing about this Mario game was the fact that you could get hit about 5 times without dieing. It is not like other Mario games in which one hit = your death. You were able to keep on going and were allowed to revive your health.
Design
I had some difficulties with some parts of the design. As I mentioned before, one major problem I had with this game was the angles in which the camera tilted. In some respects it dose seem like a good thing. It allowed for a greater sense of 3D images. But the changes in the camera angles came at very inopportune times. And the change in angles forced you into switching your control direction in order to avoid not falling off stage.
I also did not like that it did not provide any map for the player. The house was way too big to not include a map. This on the other hand allowed for more interest in the actual design of the house. It made it seem as if you were in the house looking around and remembering your footsteps from the entrance.
A great thing about this game was the liveliness of the colors. All of the colors were bright. This set a cartoonist tone that any Mario game needs. The music was very complementary to the gameworld design and different challenges you were met with.
The design in relation to space was very interesting. The entrances to each miniworlds mane the actual gameworld seem much bigger than it actually was. The edges in the game were designed in such a way that you interacted with some of them. For example, some were designed as quicksand that allowed you some time to escape. In the Bowser world you could fall in the fire and not be killed. Landing in the fire meant jumping higher with a bruised butt and maybe landing back on the platform from which you fell.
The conflicts of the game were very well designed but lacked a connection to the overall storyline of the game. The mini challenges had their own objectives and different set of rules. This created a good sense of accomplishment in every game. It allowed you to be able to stop the game if you needed to, and return to the game in good spirits. Overall it was an awesome game and good connection to the player.
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Jan 25th, 2008 at 23:55:32 - mario 64 (N64) |
Gamelog entry #2
In this game you play as Mario. You begin with a simple storyline that tells you that Peach has requested your presence in her castle. Once arriving in her castle, Peach is abducted by Bowser (big surprise). And as you guessed it, it is your job to save her. You go thru different challenges/worlds by jumping into pictures on the walls that act as portals. In order to save the princess, you need to pass every level/ portals and collect stars at the end of every game.
The game was very entertaining. The storyline is the usual as any other Mario games. You are Mario and need to save the princess. Typical. In this sense the storyline was very underdeveloped and didn’t felt missing throughout the game. It was exciting to play this game. The 3D images and the angles of the camera were a plus and allowed for more complicated maneuvering. I did feel as if the game was missing better controls. Mario was not able to do typical Mario actions like past Mario Games. For example double jump in the air. He did not develop in any way. There were no flower/fire powers. His movements were very limited and you needed to get too close to the enemies to actually hit them. The movements of the camera got me somewhat dizzy.
What was entertaining was the different games and overall design of the game. The 3D images gave it a more personal feel to the game. The different gameworlds and levels kept me entertained. I am not a frequent gameplayer but the challenges of these worlds kept me coming back. There were awesome ideas in this game. Like the hidden entrances to levels, getting shot from a cannon, and metallic Mario.
I did notice a little problem in the design. :) It seems like all of the monsters are programmed to only walk above a surface. But we have ghost in this game and they typically float. There was a point where the ghost was stuck in the corner of a narrow passage. It had a coin I needed and was obstructing my passage. It was stuck there and the only way I could get thru was by killing myself in attempting to kill him. It may be that it was part of the design but unlikely.
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Jan 15th, 2008 at 03:44:50 - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) |
Game Log entry #2
After some time I began to feel very comfortable with this game. Although it was my first time playing with a Nintendo DS and any of the series of Zelda, I felt caught up in the story and with enough information to keep on playing.
At first however, it was annoying to have to read and click every time I needed to know something. It became frustrating. As I went along playing I realized that this same "annoying" feature also allowed me to enter the Zelda world. I made me feel as the actual character walking around and looking for ways to advance in the game. It created meaning in my interactions with other characters and gave me a reason and a way to search for tools and ways out.
My main motivation to keep on going was not ultimately to save Zelda as it should have been, but rather the conquest and exploration of this world. I completely forgot about Zelda and found myself seeing every action as an achievement in itself. From finding maps, keys, and getting enough rubies to buy shields, and potions.
Design
At first, it was very complicated to understand and maneuver the movements of the character. The stylus of was easy to handle yet it was difficult for me to control the movements. It would at times make movements that I did not want it to and at very inopportune times. After getting to know the maneuvers, I managed to understand these movements yet never really managed to make Link roll when I wanted it to. The click and hold way of making the character move was very different as it allowed for more flexible and quickly responsive movements. As it was my first time ever using this type of system, I did not fully master the stylus.
The double screen of the system was very helpful. It allowed for good orientation and gave me a view of my quest. It kept me playing because it developed motivation of “I wonder what in there” type of feeling. It was what kept the links between the storyline, and “physical” part of it in tact. The double screen feature also allowed me to envision myself as packing a backpack with tools and maps. I would simply need to look inside and take out what I needed. And you know you are not traveling unless you have your safety backpack. J
I was truly an explorer with a mission. I became the hero and found my tools, they were not given to me. The design of it developed a sense of consciousness and responsibility as a character surviving and battling monsters.
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Jan 15th, 2008 at 03:13:13 - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) |
Summary
This game is an RPG game with you as the main character and hero of the series. The ultimate goal was to save Princess Zelda from a Ghost Ship. The character is on a quest to save Zelda as he encounters monsters and chalenges in finding tools.
Gameplay
It was my first time playing this game so I didn’t know what to expect. It was fairly easy to begin. The game created an entirely different world where I can talk to other characters and search out information and resources. It became a separate adventure and had a difficult time putting it down.
At first, it began as a movie. It explained the situation to me letting me learn the rules and goals for my quest. It was however difficult to understand exactly what to do once I landed on the island. It was not clear who or where I should go or talk to. I learned by experimenting and analyzing the situation.
I was entirely captivated by the plot and I found myself (with my name as the character) thinking of myself as the hero preparing for an adventure and searching for weapons. I sought dangerous places in the game such as caves and I felt that I was prepared for a challenge.
Interactions with other players was not there. I only interacted with bystanders that had something different to say only when I accomplished a goal and had another goal to set for me. The character in the game was pretty much already set. The traditional look was blonde elf looking which didn’t allow me to change the character at all.
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hlujan has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 21 days |
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